Real pressure as Van Gaal pleads for a united front

The magnificence of Madrid has an impact in Barcelona where the underachievers are looking back to go forward

The timing was not likely to be coincidental. As the fans of Real Madrid woke up to celebrate the renewal of a grand tradition, they found that the headlines in the morning papers had to be shared with the news of Louis van Gaal's return to Barcelona. Not that the Spanish press undervalued Real Madrid's ninth European Cup success. One columnist likened Zinedine Zidane to Beethoven, but if the cup-winning volley deserves a symphony all of its own, Van Gaal's unveiling at the Nou Camp on Friday should have been set to the music of Ennio Morricone. Appropriately enough, the time was high noon. The good, the bad and the ugly was an apt summary of the progressive deterioration of the Dutchman's relationship with the Catalan press the last time he was in charge.

The contrast between the fortunes of Madrid and Barcelona could not have been more marked over the past week. As if defeat in the semi-finals of the Champions' League was not enough of an indignity, the Catalans had to endure further reminders of Real Madrid's unrivalled European heritage at the end of what, for one glorious moment, promised to be a barren centenary season. The one consolation of Madrid's 2-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen came from the seemingly conclusive proof that in selling Luis Figo to their hated rivals, the club have gained comfortably the best of the deal. Figo, withdrawn after an hour in Glasgow, looked like a player who had too many miles on the clock.

The real sadness of Glasgow, though, was that the best team lost. Seldom this season have Real Madrid played like a team. Their league form has been patchy, they were outfought and outplayed by an inspired Deportivo La Coruña in the Spanish Cup final, which was supposed to mark the first leg of a celebratory treble, and, even in their rare moments of fluency on Wednesday, Madrid failed to harness brilliant individualism to the common cause. It was somehow fitting that an exquisite solo strike by Zinedine Zidane should ultimately separate the two sides and that the instinctive heroics of the substitute goalkeeper, Iker Casillas, should thwart Leverkusen's increasingly desperate search for a lifeline. Lever-kusen deserved better than to have the third trophy in as many weeks snatched from their grasp; despite gifting Real the first goal, for long periods they had the measure of their illustrious opponents.

Leverkusen might take some solace from the progress of Valencia, who, though beaten Champions' League finalists twice in succession, have proved strong enough to win the Spanish league title for the first time in 31 years. The task for Klaus Toppmöller, the likeable Leverkusen coach, is to rebuild once more without the services of Michael Ballack, who is moving to Bayern Munich, Ulf Kirsten, who is retiring, and Ze Roberto, who is expected to join Bayern within the next few days.

While the powerhouse clubs of G-14 toy with the idea of a salary cap in the sure knowledge that policing the rules will be next to impossible, football's economics cannot deny clubs like Lever-kusen their 15 minutes of fame. Those close to the Real president, Florentino Perez, still vehemently claim that, for all the sweet-talking to come out of north London, Patrick Vieira is signed and sealed as a Madrid player for next season. It would be no surprise if Andriy Shevchenko also arrives from cash-strapped Milan as a ready-made replacement for Morientes. The annual purchase of at least one superstar has become a matter of honour. But the credibility of European football would be irrevocably harmed if Madrid began to turn the Champions' League into their own personal fiefdom once again.

Mounting a coherent challenge for the Spanish title would be at the top of the "new" Van Gaal agenda at the Nou Camp. At times, notably for the last 20 minutes of a Champions' League game at Anfield, Barcelona were breathtaking. Mostly, in emulation of their history, they flattered to deceive under Carles Rexach. The old adage about never going back has been conclusively undermined by Marcello Lippi at Juventus, but Van Gaal's obstinacy brought his first spell at the Nou Camp to a bitter conclusion and lost him the respect of his players as Holland failed wretchedly to qualify for the World Cup.

Van Gaal's second coming was rather less bombastic, rather more rueful than his first. "You see before you a very happy man," he told his former oppressors of the Catalan media. "I'm lucky to have this second chance, but I'm aware of the difficulties that lie ahead. I ask you for your help. Barcelona have not won anything for the last three years and I remember what Sergi [Barcelona's full-back] once said: 'Barcelona are not as good as everyone thinks'. We have to be very united to change that."

In life, Van Gaal added, we always make mistakes. "I can't change my personality and I don't want to, but sometimes I have perhaps not communicated my thoughts as I meant to." Given that Van Gaal left Catalonia last time muttering about the impossibility of the locals, this was a grovelling retraction. But failure can do strange things to the proudest of individuals. Van Gaal waxed lyrical about the beauties of the Catalan culture and vowed that his house in Sitges would always remain his true home. Failure – and the success of Real Madrid – can also do strange things to the soul of a great football club.